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My dream of being a singer and the fact that people get inspired by my singing

2. When and why did you decide to start singing?

When I was young, I saw artists singing on stage and I'd singalong, I thought how fun it would be if I could do that too. It was then I had the dream of being a singer but was put down due to certain issues but was brought back alive when I was 16 and watched a documentary on a Korean singer. It was then I decided to improve my singing and I found KTVA when I was 17. Now 19.

3. Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

I'll be successful in my music career and I'll make my family (and relatives) proud of me. Prove it to my relatives that "Music" as a career is also an option! My parents and relatives are the ones who are like "You gotta be a doctor, lawyer, scientist etc" So yeah! I'll prove it to them that I can do it and I'll make em all proud :')

4. What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

The feeling of being on stage, having the spotlight on you and inspiring/entertaining people with your voice!

5. What inhibits your singing?

- Vocal technique issues (not enough support, still need more practise on vowel modifications and need to build up a good strong head voice and learn to mix it with my chest)- Afraid of being too loud and disturbing other people (especially at home or in public areas)

I want to prove for myself that hard work and dedication will make me succeed. I Want to be able to sing all those fantastic songs out there in full voice with the correct key!

2. When and why did you decide to start singing?

I've been singing since I was 8 years old when I got hooked on the Beatles and then I've been singing on & off sporadic but it was not until a couple of years ago that I decided to try a vocal coach... It didn't really pay off until I found KTVA in late January this year and the progress IS amazing!

3. Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

I want to show all the skeptical people that you can become a great singer even if you're over 40! In fact I'm going to start a band and write songs and be the lead singer

4. What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

It's all about emotions and I just started to sing when I heard good music, but my limitations made me feel frustrated. The turning point was when I received a guitar as a birthday present that made me feel that I wanted to learn how to really sing.

5. What inhibits your singing?

Not enough range (Chest, Head and mix), support, support, support and did I mention support? learn the correct techniques. I still see myself as a limited singer and don't really want to sing infront of people just yet...

On a base level: emotion. Like playing the piano or guitar, I find singing a very good medium from which to express how I'm feeling. On higher levels, the thought of singing to a crowd of people and having them dance and sing their hearts out to up-tempo numbers and hang on to my every word during ballads really excites me. Finally, on a financial level, it would be awesome to make a living from singing, but I would really like to give my family and close friends easier lives by helping them out with money.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I started singing quite late on - around the age of 15 in Performing Arts at school. Something clicked then and although I was absolutely terrible, I really enjoyed it and wanted to improve!

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

I want to prove to not only those who know me, but also myself that I can be successful in the sense of widely accepted recognition in my singing and songwriting abilities. From there, I want to be able to shout out "Do what you love doing and work hard at it! You can do it, look at me - I did it!"

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

A highly infectious melody or raw emotion. Or both,

What inhibits your singing?

Constantly getting sore throats mainly! Also power in the upper mids. Above all, I find if I try to put all my emotion into my singing, it tends to sound terrible. I'd like to be able to really express myself with a good handle on my voice (think Earth Song by Michael Jackson).

Singing energizes me and makes me feel good. It feels like the doorway to my heart comes open and helps me to express love and emotions that otherwise are hard to share with the world.

Some time ago, at about the age of 52, after being the drummer in bands all my life and being in the background physically and vocally, I decided that I wanted to be able to sing lead vocals. I started looking everywhere I could to find some sort of vocal program that would unlock the vocal power that I felt was wanting to be unleashed within me. I tried just about every vocal method under the sun, and found one after another that was big on promises and cost, yet lacking in results. After years of trying many different methods without getting the results I wanted, I started researching Open Throat singing. This search led me to Ken Tamplin's demos. I knew then that I had found what I had been looking for.

I want to be able to sing from my heart and to touch the hearts of others. I want to help them to feel emotions and feelings that they want to release into the world. I want to use my voice to strike chords that ring within us all and resonate our unity in brotherhood and sisterhood. I want to sing about love and I want to sing about God. Life is good and singing is the best way to declare that.

The trigger that makes me want to sing is the feeling that my voice is this sleeping giant that wants to wake up.

What inhibits my singing is when my voice gets in the way of my singing, when I haven't been doing my part of the work.

Singing is a universal language that crosses barriers that no other medium can cross.

Something deep within me I can't explain. It's a driving need I can't seem to let go of no matter how pessimistic I may get, it's the anticipation and pure exhilaration of expressing something I feel so passionately about.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

1986, I was six years old, the release of Slippery When Wet. Itpromptedthe realization that people actually got to do what I loved for a living, on a stage in front of thousands of people with big hair and cool leather pants. And I've been livin' on a prayer ever since :-P

Do you have something to say, and you want to shout it out?

I want to prove to myself that I can take this all the way, I don't want to live my life with the regret of never knowing what could have been. I don't want to live with the pain of knowing I allowed fear or doubts in myself shape who I ultimately become or how I express myself. I want to inspire others to their potential, by reaching for my own!

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Again something undefinable....it's just something I feel, I'll hear a something I like and I just have this deep desire to express how it makes me feel through my voice....

What inhibits your singing?

More than anything probably doubts I have about myself and my abilities, whether or not I am/will be 'good enough'...I guess it makes me tense and affects how I do things..I also probably give a little too much thought to what the neighbours are thinking when I'm in the throes of a good vocal workout!

2. Late 70's , Early 80's - Popularity.. Singing / lip-syncing / air guitar in front of a mirror to a .45 playing as loud as it can, only brings you so much satisfaction.... So, I decided to start imitating my favorite artist and try to "find my voice"..

3. Singing was always a way to empty your head and fill your heart with pure truth.. Growing up in this world, we lose the one thing that we always strive to achieve again -- innocence.. Singing allows us to express our emotions and deepest thoughts....As long as you truly believe.... you don't sing notes, you ARE the notes..

4. Expression and story telling..

5. Number one reason is Allergies / colds.. which leads to Stage Fright, and I steer away from it then.

1. Motivation: To turn my soul inside out through the voice and let people be showered by all the love and energy that is there.

2. I started singing because someone (he said he was clairvoiant, him about that...) said I had a tremendous voice (he had only heard me speak), I thought he was crazy, because I remembered my parents told me I didn't sing very well (they say they never did, so perhaps I heard wrong), but I went to an opera teacher and she said: "what a voice!" So then I had a paradigm shift the belief about my voice. But then I got a baby, and I stopped singing. Happy with that, until recently...

3. I have nothing particular to say or shout out right now. It comes in portions when I have the divine inspiration.

4. What triggered me to sing was that I realised I could sing as well as many vocalists I knew, but I just sat there and shut up, afraid to let anybody hear my singing voice (my speaking voice is a totally different story,...loves to be on a stage and speak), and it eventually made me so pissed that I just started singing in front of others to break an irrational, old pattern of singing only in the car. And I am always triggered by showing someone I look up to that I am good, can learn, work, do progress. In this case it is Ken (and also all you other people on the forum). That is my honest answer.

5. Before asthma inhibited my singing. Now it doesn't because I worked it out by patient training and commitment to a breathing method called Buteyko (ask me if you want to know more). Right now I feel that not much is inhibiting my singing. It flows more and more. Thanks to KTVA.

In one hand beauty and emotive power of singing voice that makes our hearts and souls sing. . But, to be honest, in the other hand the real strong motivation - is the music i compose. Singing for me is the way to bring my songs to the world.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I want to split answers. I don`t make a desicion to start singing. When i started playin` guitar it was natural for me - to pick the guitar and sing a song. And i do it for years. But when I started preparing to record solo album, I realized that my singing is not good enough. At this point I decided to LEARN singing properly. I was stupid - i should have started much early. But better later than never.

And may be time for singing comes - now i wanna sing. Interesting quote on this theme i posted below. I I believe, perhaps something the same happen with me.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

I believe, my mission - is bring my own music to the world to make it a little better and lighter. And i`ll do my best for that. And i want to say -people do the same, please. Because music is magic thing. No one in the universe does not create your music for you. Physical laws
is another. If Newton don`t discovered the law of gravity, it would be
opened by someone else. But if Mozart didn't composed the 40th Symphony, and Paul McCartney
didn't wrote "Yesterday", they simply wouldn't exist. So be creative. But be careful at the same. Because voice, even the most beautiful voice on earth is a tool. And it is very
important that you bring into the world with the help of this tool.
Because
the more beautiful your voice,
the more you are listened by the
people. Let`s bring to the world love and light. Make music not war!

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Responsibility about my songs, emotions, beauty. And jealousy (white jealousy) in good way - when your hear the great singing, you have that feeling - wow, it`s great, amazing and i wanna be able so. And girls, of course :^)

And i want to share here very interesting thoughts on the subject of this trade - what is motivate people start singing? I read this in the book "Vocal Bible" by the russian opera singer and vocal teacher Yuri Martianov.

" I will try to outline briefly to you now the one philosophy of life that
will explain your irresistible desire to sing. After all, this desire
comes from the people of completely different. It does not depend on
education or upbringing, from the degree of well-being or age, and other
living conditions. So what makes people leave everything and denied
themselves largely to strive towards some unknown goal-to learn to sing
beautifully? Strange as it may seem, but the explanation can be found in
the INDIAN VEDAS. If You follow this link, you can see very interesting
movie about the Vedas. But the short version is that life on earth is
divided into 4 age. In every age can purify the soul and can approach
perfection in various ways. To our great regret, we live in an era that
is called KALI Yuga. It is, as said in the Vedas, the era when come to
power by THIEVES. In the age of KALI YUGA not help not a prayer, nor
sacrifice. THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO GOOD IN THIS ERA IS THE ISSUE OF
BEAUTIFUL SOUNDS. Interesting, isn't it? Now it is clear why there are
people who have earned a lot of money, but ready to give up everything
just to sing. And it is clear on what basis there are fans and singing.
At a certain stage of development of the souls of the people start to
intuitively feel that can't sing. And this does not depend on anything
but the degree of maturation of their own soul. It is my point of view -
I don't impose it, but my eyes
have seen
amazing things. My student began to
sing, lost everything he had, but became a happy person. And well-being
comes again, but in another capacity. "

I listen to music a lot and hear all the stories the music and lyrics tell and I want to be part of that. Maybe share a few stories with the world.

When and why did you decide to sing?

Probably when I heard some of the songs my mother wrote.

Do you have something to say and "want to shout it out"?

I think I do, but I'm not quite sure what it is yet.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Pent up emotions usually. The free feeling I get sometimes.

What inhibits your singing?

My stage fright, my voice cracks when I sing, I can't stay on pitch or hit high notes usually, and I can't afford any of your dvd's or anything to help, so I kind of just try to learn what I can from what you post, but that will only take me so far.

I can't answer that question, but I can say this: as a singer the worst thing would be that I could not connect with my audience. I would be very lonely, empty, and dead. So what would I be if I didn't sing at all?

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I always sang. I am attracted to the arts in general, but singing was always something special. Not necessarily what I did best or worst, but something special like a secret gift between lovers; a golden box full of angels trumpeting love, joy, hope; something hidden; something divine.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

It's funny, but I don't have anything to say. Haha, but then again I never shut up!! I will say that I feel something speaks through me, but I don't know what and it doesn't really matter to me either. But I definately don't have a pointed message; although I hope that the other person hears something other than noise.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Briefly....I didn't sing or play piano for a few years and lived with the worst interior pain I have ever experienced. It was like somebody lodged a huge rock down my throat and I was choking on it. I will never, never, never do that again. I don't care if I am the worst singer ever and never sing a c scale in pitch; I have to sing, period.What inhibits your singing?

Me. I am very insecure and think that nobody is really interested in listening to me sing. When I do find people who want to hear me sing, I think that I suck so I better not embarrass myself. I thought this was stage fright and took up acting in order to be cured. I ended up being a really good actress, but was still insecure while singing. I learned that I just have to do what's in my heart and sing; not judge. I was never afraid of the audience; I do not have stage fright. I just can't get out of my own way.

Music really gets me going, so hearing a great track gets me singing along. Motivation... not to suck for when I sing live (that could be 'fear' instead of motivation... by I'm motivated not to fear quite so much when the time comes!). And to sing the best that I can when I do - adoration from a crowd is always a good thing.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I'm an electronics design engineer by profession, so music will always be a "love" thing for me as opposed to a day job. I've gotten to a high level on the guitar and want to join/form an 80s guitar rock band to do backing vocals, or just do acoustic rock and sing solo. Basically I decided a couple of weeks ago!! Playing ripping solos isn't so fun when you're sitting in your room - there's more to the musical palette, and singing complements my guitar playing nicely.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Why did the 80s have to die!? I love G N' R, Extreme, Faith No More, Poison, you name it..

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Took a couple years off playing guitar due to work and due to taking 'too much on' - basically tried to learn flamenco, jazz and fingerstyle all at once and it was too much, I got disheartened and bored. Now I'm focusing on rock with a touch on fingerstyle on the side. Only played live a few times but from what I've seen, I think I could do better. I decided just a couple of weeks back that I need to GET OUT THERE and PLAY, and decided that be it solo or in a band, I need to be able to sing to wrap up the package nicely. I took a few lessons and Ken's name was mentioned... I checked his method out, and all the rest (SLS etc etc) - but Ken can really SING and I want to get there with the best teacher doing the right things from day one.

What inhibits your singing?

The usual - little 'stage fright,' not wanting to disturb the neighbours, finding the time (guitar will always come first.. after my job, that is!!). Basically, I plan to drive somewhere quiet, put the audio CD on and make the time. My neighbours suck, no way they would put up with 1-2 hours guitar practice + 1 hour singing (which is way louder than my guitar).

Dudes and Divas, these questions are for everyone, whether you're enrolled in KTVA or not.

What motivates you to sing? Im a karaoke addict. i think i need to go to a K.A. meeting... Also while singing Karaoke it would be really cool if someone came up and ask if i'd sing for them in a band or some party their throwing.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I think it started when i fell in love with the very girl i married. I'd constantly sing "hello" by lionel richie. im a 70's -80's-90's love song nut. i love the rock but that will come in time

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?" I want to be able to sing the COOL ROCK songs old and new. my unicorn song right now is Journey's faithfully.. it will be awesome to reach this goal.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing? sitting at the table and someone goes up to sing and that voice just makes everyone stop what there doing and listen. I want to be that guy.

What inhibits your singing? Lack of proper training basically self taught but i believe i've come to the right place

Dudes and Divas, these questions are for everyone, whether you're enrolled in KTVA or not.

1. What motivates you to sing? I've been playing music and live gigs since about 18/19. Bassist mostly. I'm hoping to make myself a kind of "Micheal Anthony/Stu Hamm-hybrid". I play well, but singing is my weakest part musically I've always wanted to get better at doing. Plus it's about getting out of my comfort zone...keeps gigging have an edge of scariness to it!

2. When and why did you decide to start singing? About 6 months ago seriously. The singer in my band has a very low range, and rather than trying to find a new singer, (in a band with guys I get along with really well) just to get a singer with more range seemed silly. So I'm taking it on myself to fill in the gaps and sing those harmonies/high parts myself.3. Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?" I'll be thrilled to get to a level of just understanding how to sing all night properly, good melody, and learn vibrato,etc....but I may later push myself to get to a Brent Smith or Bruce Dickenson as an ultimate "sing better than you ever dreamed" kinda goal!

4. What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing? Gigging with my band I have opportunities all the time, I sing a tiny bit, and I still worry about every note. I want to be able to relax that worry the same way I feel when I pick up my bass. The crowds on, take a deep breath, and let auto-pilot (from months of practice) take over and have fun while still doing real well. I want to add interesting melodies/harmonies to add cool tone with the band. (Alice in Chains, etc).

5. What inhibits your singing? I've had NO training at all, outside of a couple of pointers....which (since Ken's lessons) I've found out several were wrong! I was spending months just screaming and hoping I hit the note, and getting sore and hoarse after a few songs. I think also I have my "safety net" on the bass. No one expects vocals from the bass player, so if I never sing no big deal. I'm trying to force myself to add the singing as PART of my performance, equal with bass... and step up the tone of the whole band.

I am a guitar player and it was always difficult to find a singer to front a band so I decided I would try to sing to front the bands I was in.

What inhibits your singing?

Did not have proper training and was insecure about my singing. always find it difficult when recording my vocals. very self conscious. I guess I haven't found my true voice yet.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I always sort of sang in bands but really did not know what I was doing... More of a shouter and would always be hoarse after a performance. Really started to "sing" and attempt to focus more on vocals when I turned 40 - 41.

What motivates you to sing? - Ultimately singing is a way for me to express and sometimes show a side of me that doesn't always come out during conversations or every day encounters. It's a way for me to share my heart with others and glorify the Lord at the same time

When and why did you decide to start singing?- I actually started singing in junior high (around 1991). I began leading worship in the late 1990s and have continued through until today. I began writing and performing my own music back in 1998. I absolutely love this means of expression

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing? - The triggers might be coming up with a good chord progression or having something to say that only music allows me to say or express. Also - I want to get better and better at it to see what my potential is. KTVA is really helping me find my true voice.

Basically when there's something on my mind that needs to be felt and expressed rather than mimicked through badly attempted rhetoric's.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I began writing songs with my guitar and I needed someone to sing them. This started in 2009, but I didn't start to take it seriously until a year and a half back when I first noticed KTVA. That inspired me. Now I finally have the economy to buy the courses individually, so I started with Vol. 1 a month back.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Listening to great singers and jamming with friends.

What inhibits your singing?I live in an apartment with no silencing walls what so ever, and quite easily offended neighbors (I can't shower or play my unplugged electric guitar without getting complaints).

It affords me the freedom to connect, emotionally, through
music that otherwise, in normal life, I cannot. (If that makes sense)

When and why did I start singing?

It started in High school where I did a couple of high
school plays. The one in particular was “Annie” where I played Rooster and found
I thoroughly enjoyed singing and being on stage.

I am 44 now, spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy, retired in 2007. Until about a year ago, I sang pretty much in the car and into the occasional karaoke mic. About a year ago, I took a chance at the aforementioned Theater and auditioned for a play (The Sound of Music) and was cast in a small part. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed being on stage and wanted more. I then was cast in an original play called "Chase Down the Sun" (written and directed by Peter Thompson) which was a musical review of the music of Hoyt Axton. As of right now I have been cast as the Tenor in the play "8-Track. The Sounds of the 70's" which will open in late April. It is now, and will be a BIG challenge vocally.

A shout out.......

Sure. How about a shout out to everyone involved with the
Encore Theater in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Great people, fun shows, and
atmosphere in a community theater.

What was/is the trigger to make me want to sing?

A trigger? I guess if you combine the answers from the first
and second question, that would sufficiently answer that.

What inhibits my singing?

I feel I sing fairly well for a novice so the thing
inhibiting me from reaching my potential would be technique which I hope to
gain through the program which I recently purchased and am waiting to receive.

I sing first and foremost because it makes me happy. I sing because there is no one else that can use the words to my songs the way I intended them to be expressed.

When and why did I start singing?

I began singing in my teens. I have always loved harmony vocals, like Queen. I am a bit of a control freak, so as I started to learn guitar, I figured why not sing as well? I may not be the best in the business, but at least I'm doing what I love.

A shout out....

To everyone in the 505!! New Mexico, that is.

What was/is the trigger to make me want to sing?

Every time I happen to see my girlfriend watching The Voice, American Idol, etc. it makes me want to sing only because I think those shows are for ratings only and are filled with nothing but candy music. I just want to prove that one can be a good singer and still sing what he/she loves, in my case rock!!

I also get inspired every time I pickup my guitar. There is nothing like writing your own tune, whether good or bad.

What inhibits my singing?

I would have to say anxiety. I was diagnosed with social anxiety last year and it kills me to have not been able to share my voice to the world. I am currently on medication and it truly is helping me, but I have been so afraid and so critical of myself that I was contemplating giving up singing due to my condition. I still struggle every time someone asks me to sing to the point that I perspire, get a racing heart and make excuses why I can't. This even happens to close friends and family. I am trying little by little to put myself out there, but it can be really difficult at times.

If I could just conquer this self debilitation, I would feel so relieved, but baby steps, I guess.

What motivates you to sing? ANSWER:: It makes me happy. It fuels my dreams. It restores the bonds between me and my musical loved-ones who have passed on.

When and why did you decide to start singing? ANSWER: My music-makin' uncles and grandpa. This past Thanksgiving I discovered an audio recording of my Dad's where my uncle, grandpa, and their friends were "makin' music" in my grandparents living room like they used to do and they invited me to come sing a little song that my uncle had been teaching me to sing. Song was "Runnin Bear". I was about 5 yrs old. On the recording, after I finished you can hear them lavishing me with praise, and then my Grandpa, who left us for Heaven in 1983, you can hear him say "that boys gonna be a musician, and a singer too." That brought tears to my eyes. I loved that man.

What inhibits your singing? ANSWER: Lack of technique, and of course my day job as an electrical engineer, because they don't think its professional for me to be me during normal business hours. :-)

I want to know what motivates you to sing :-)

ANSWER: The mystical attraction of music to my soul and its positive effect on my mood and outlook.

Singing energizes me and makes me feel good. It feels like the doorway to my heart comes open and helps me to express love and emotions that otherwise are hard to share with the world.

..../....

I want to be able to sing from my heart and to touch the hearts of others. I want to help them to feel emotions and feelings that they want to release into the world. I want to use my voice to strike chords that ring within us all and resonate our unity in brotherhood and sisterhood. I want to sing about love and I want to sing about God. Life is good and singing is the best way to declare that.

The trigger that makes me want to sing is the feeling that my voice is this sleeping giant that wants to wake up.

unquote

Totally agree with you and I love what you said.

I feel the same way about my voice being a sleeping giant that wants to wake up.The trigger that made me want to sing was an urgent need to express love, laughter and above all ...joy...The action of singing gives me a lot of energy and makes me feel happy and balanced.I don't want to become famous, I want to sing to be able to connect with others in a friendly way.Joce.

What motivates you to sing?Singing is my catharsis. My catharsis can also connect with someone else's heart/mind/soul; that's a powerful privilege.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I've loved and have been surrounded by music since early infancy - it pre-dates my long term memory. Both of my parents are musical in their own rights - even though they are not 'accomplished musicians' and their love for music became my own.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

"WE ALL HAVE TO GIVE UP ONE THING!" (answers may vary hehe)

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Once I got the feeling - I was hooked.

What inhibits your singing?

That's what I'm trying to avoid - I'm taking the KTVA as a form of preventative maintenance. I'd be crushed if one day I couldn't express myself this way. If we truly love singing, nothing can inhibit us. But, if we are careless and don't take proper care of our voice, we will, in fact, be the cause of that which may inhibit us down the road.

Being the best vocalist i can be, having a extraordinary stage presence and writting songs for my band with my full voice. (i can't hit my high notes, yet)

When and why did you decide to start singing? It was in 2011 at the age of 14, i would sing some songs and record with my voice with the computer microphone, but i was not confident to sing yet, i was just whispering ..

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Yes, everything that i learned with music so far was not only because i was exploring new things (not only with my voice but with my guitar also), it was because i had the time to dedicate to it. I have a band since 2012, we are getting serious on writting songs, doing rehearsals, learning new songs, developing ourselves as better musicians, marketing, making investments on equipment,etc.. and i remember that the majority of the time when we were spending time doing such things, it was when my friends were drinking or "relaxing" watching TV. Of course we don't like to spend our free times like this, but if we didn't, we wouldn't be where we are today.So that's it, if you want to get good at something, take the time to practice it.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Watching Axl Rose singing.. Yes i moved on..

What inhibits your singing?

I can't sing the f*cking high notes past D#4, and i know that i can ... that's why i'm here .. (yes, my voice is pretty low)

Singing is my passion. It doesn't matter if I don't sound as amazing as the other people out there. It's just one of those things I just love to do so much.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

It was the end of my Freshman year of highschool (2012) and apparently, my friends and classmates who are good singers inspired me like crazy to sing too.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

KTVA has helped me improve my singing in ways I didn't imagine before and I'm not even close to finishing the course! If you want your voice to grow the best way possible. this is the way. I have tried other programs and methods and this is the only one that works and this is a choice I will never regret.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

I am in theatre, a choir, and an a capella group. The people in those groups inspire me so much that I can't stop singing.

What motivates you to sing? When and why did you decide to start singing?

When I first started to sing and it's about 6-7 years ago it was like kinda funny pastime and I didn't even suspect how much it will mean to me in future. For now it's more like an addiction which I just CAN'T suppress.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Before starting KTVA I was studying via SingingSuccess programm, but it it didn't helped. Through the years of using SS I became stylistically more educated. But I'm not sure that exactly SS helped me with that))With a KTVA I opened brand new notion of singing. I'm feeling like I'm on a right track for right now.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

A first time when I was listened Tony Martin sang in Black Sabbath's "Eternal Idol" album.

What inhibits your singing?It always been a lack of time. First was college, then my regular job.And maybe money a little bit.

The dream of being a really great rock/metal singer, and being able to eventually help other people trying to do the same.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I didn't really decide to it just happened. I just love it.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"I think I do. A lot of the music I write tends to be about rising above the obstacles life puts in front of you and believing in whatever it is you are doing. What better way to deliver the message than with a powerful fist clenching gritty belt.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Great Vocalists in my favorite bands like Faith No More, Pantera, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Danzig, Stone Temple Pilots, Incubus, the list can go on forever.

What inhibits your singing?My lack of memory engrams of correct technique. I think I have some serious hidden potential to unlock, we'll see when I can afford lessons.

What motivates you to sing? Our band Couldn't find a singer, no one can match the voice in my head.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I saw a comment on the forum saying put your cigarette money into KTVA and you won't regret it. Also My brother thinks he's bon jovi and sounds like bob dylan.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?" Yes I want to wake people up. I see a lot of good and bad in the world and have my own ups and downs, what better way to triumph than through a killer song.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing? I want to sing better than my "old self," better than the pompous know it alls at karaoke, better than my brother, better tan everyone else!

What inhibits your singing? ME. I have set limits and unrealistic goals. Blah Blah Blah. But it's me not letting it all hang out.

Well, i wanna be able to sing with a lot of power and range and play an instrument,first and foremost, a guitar, simultaneously.

When and why did you decide to start singing?A long time ago, but i could get my hands on KTVA ony 4 months ago. There has been some progress. I hope to move on to Vol.2 within the next month.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Oh yes, i do. I might not be the world's best lyricist, but i wanna be able to sing out anything i want in a heavy rock'n'roll way.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?All the hard rock and heavy metal that i listen to. I've wanted to be a rockstar since i was a kid.

What inhibits your singing?Well, right now it's the lack of skill. I can carry a tune, without sounding like a parody on a howling dog, but that's not enough. I want to be able to sing like Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Don Dokken, Dio, Dan McCufferty, Klaus Meine and Robert Plant to name a few. My current level of singing skill and power does not allow that.

But i hope, that i will be able to move on through the Volumes soon. For me(and the rest of us), moving up a Volume is a sign of getting closer to where i want to be vocally.

What motivates you to sing?I think the thing that kinda motivates me the most is, that singing is a beatifull way to express yourself. I don´t mean only singing, also music itself, as it flows through you and even when you are depressed like hell it can motivate you to go on, or when you are just bursting of joy and happines, music and singing is a great way to share those feelings with other people.

When and why did you decide to start singing?I never started singing seriously untill now, cause I thought I´d never be able to do it and was kinda frightend that I might fail, but goddamn I might fail beeing a great singer, but at least I tried and at least I´ll have fun. There are many reasons why I started, but the two most significant points are: First: My love to music (I think nearly all of you can relate with that) and the second one: It may sound childish, but since I am 12, I write my own texts (poems, songtexts, spoken word...all kind of stuff you know) and my greatest dream is it to be able to perform and express my own lyrics.

Do you have sth, to say and you want to "shout it out?"Allright, times up, let´s do this !!!

What inhibits your singing?The lack of experiance and the non existent training of my voice (my range right now is hell ^^ )So I just want to get better and better !

I hope when I really continue the training, I finally can someday perform my own lyrics !

Leaving a legacy behind , inspiring people worldwide , having a powerful impact on their lives since music helped me A LOT during the hard times , I believe it is the best way to express myself , I LOVE writing songs , I started off with poetry and singing is the way to deliver the message , it's the ultimate vehicle

When and why did you decide to start singing?

March 2011 , I started doing death metal vocals to be honest , then 2 years later , early 2013 I was encouraged to work on my clean vocals , I had no confidence in them what so ever , I am still nowhere compared to where I want to be , I know that I am going to do it with ken's course , I am truly grateful and indebted to finding Ken's channel on youtube while looking for vocal techniques !!! I WAS BLOWN AWAY ! I rushed over to my best friend who's my producer and sent him the link IMMEDIATELY and told him THIS IS IT !

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Haha I am a rockstar , I'll be doing that a lot !

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

The fact music helped me a lot , I felt like I had to share what I have with others (my inner music) , singing is the way to do so , delivering the message to billions of people .

What inhibits your singing?

Not knowing how to do it properly and build my voice , use the right techniques , have the right mentality about the notes and the transitions!

The motivation of singing itself. The freedom to express, connect with lyrics, connect with others and invent my own sound.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

Started terribly singing when I was 3/4 years old. Parents always used to have music on in the house, dad played piano, mum sang and my brother soon picked up the guitar. I saw the joy it was bringing to those around me and realised I had shared the same enjoyment from listening and consuming myself in music

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

I don't know if my ethnicity has anything to do with it but I always want to say something haha. All jokes aside I want to inspire others, tell stories, connect with people, be a voice for those who may not have the chance, make a difference and aspire to be the best artist I can be

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

The pure love of singing itself. The trigger is the music, the melody, the rhythm, the lyric, the beat OR the spark of inspiration I may have in my head and my determination to make it 'come alive'

What inhibits your singing?

The bad habits I have developed over the years with miscommunicated technique and my terrible habit to 'overthink'.

When I sing I feel like I can express myself fully and connect with people on a deep level that words alone cannot do.

When and why did you start singing?

I started to sing when I was 16 years old. I never sung before then because I had that notion that singing was reserved for a select few "talented" people. I meet a guy(who is now my best friend) who had this angelic voice and girls at school were all over him. I was talking to him one day and I said, "Man, I wish I could sing", and he replied, "I used to suck at singing but I practice all the time and I started to get better". My mind was completely blown. I never thought of the voice as something that needed lots of training, I thought rock stars were born with a huge, beautiful voice. So I went onto the YouTubes and searched "how to sing". Eric Arceneaux's vocal warm up videos were the first videos that I clicked on and that is where my singing journey began.

Do you have something you want to say and you want to "shout it out"?

If I ever auditioned for The Voice and all the chairs turned around for me I would choose Usher as my coach

What was/ is the trigger to make you sing?

When I just cant contain my emotions and I want the world to know who I am.

What Inhibits your singing?

Trying to force my voice to do things that its not yet capable of. This often leads to bad external tension. I try to not push it but I just wanna belt and wail already!!!

1. What motivates you to sing?- Passion for Rock n roll. Guitar, Feels good, friends and family, My different tone. and believing in my capability of singing better, different and powerful than anybody else.

When and why did you decide to start singing?-At the age of fourteen when one of uncle heard me screaming in the bathroom and asked me learn guitar. since then i started learning guitar.

at the age of 19 we formed a band and decided to sing.Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson was my key influence.

When and why did you decide to start singing? - I alway wanted to sing, but I never found a good vocal coach.. I went to opera singing coaches but never found a rock vocal coach... I actually go to a vocal coach, but still doesn't teach me the Ken Tamplin "secrets".

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?" - YES..I would like to upload a track and like to someone hear it and give me some feedback.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing? - I LOVE HARD ROCK..Yet, all my vocal coaches say that I have a "Beatle sound" on my voice (very clean - but I really don't what that )

What inhibits your singing? - Well, the major factor is that I live with my parents, and it represses me.

Hi This is Gon Sinner from Lord Sinner www.myspace.com/lordsinnermusic

Recently purchased the course basically because I saw a video of Ken in Youtube and I liked his face. Also the good mud when singing. Spaniards we are like this, we behave by feelings and more if we sing progressive Metal.

Between lines are my answers to this nice questions...

Dudes and Divas, these questions are for everyone, whether you're enrolled in KTVA or not.

What motivates you to sing?

Makes me free

When and why did you decide to start singing?

When our band vocalist left the band. I sang a song and by bandmates told me to leave drums and become singer

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Voice comes from the soul, not from the head. Of course you need a lot of technical skills to achieve this.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Pain Killer from Judas Priest and I Remember you from Skid Row

What inhibits your singing?

Transitions between middle/high to high tonalities

I want to know what motivates you to sing :-)

Very simple, It takes me to a nice forest full of pine trees, with aromatic smells and a beautiful lady and shinny eyes behind a tree is looking at me . In that moment there is no other business or worries. My body looses weight and I can Fly.

Dudes and Divas, these questions are for everyone, whether you're enrolled in KTVA or not.

What motivates you to sing?-It's fun. And if I'm going to do it why not learn to do it so it sounds good.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I started DJing in High School as a way to pay for my college (started
saving then) and I found karaoke was big market. I started doing a few
karaoke gigs and went to a lot of them to see how other DJs in the area
were doing them and I've always went up and sang songs. That is how I
started.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

-I've recently pressed record and just sang what came to mind. I have friends who right and play music and ill jam with them.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?-Someone is going to do it so why not me?

I write songs (music and lyrics). I've been in and out rock bands since my highschool days (playing keyboards). The band I'm currently in (Beduinos a Gasoleo) is a progressive rock band, in activity since 2005 in it's current format. I write or co-write all the material we play. I want to sing my own songs without feeling I'm not doing justice to them. I don't want to rely exclusively on guest vocalists, as we do.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Had enough of teaching other people singing my idiosyncratic stuff (they do a great job, though, thanks a lot, guys and gals!) without being able to do it myself, at least some of it, above a minimum level of proficiency.

What inhibits your singing?

Fear of failure and lacking the proper technique(s). The former is in part a consequence of the latter, of course. Don't like my voice when I hear it recorded, most of the times.

Hi Ken! I have just enrolled and downloading the files now.. Thanks for the opportunity!

What motivates you to sing?The love of it. Just the thought of getting up on stage and singing makes me feel motivated!

When and why did you decide to start singing?When I was 14 I started working at my local music shop.. I recorded a song for one of my colleagues for a bit of fun and she loved my voice. Not long after I was singing occasionally on stage locally and now in a duo singing around Victoria, Australia.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Hearing my favourite vocalists singing, makes me want to sing.

I started singing because it's something I've always loved to do. From karaoke bars to church functions I just love it and am fascinated with the voice. My main purpose and motivation is of course to try and make it a career and have enough to give back to everyone that ever helped me.

Wow, what an inspiring thread. Some of your comments are gonna put mine to shame!

What motivates you to sing?I'm not entirely sure. I guess right now the main thing is fulfilling the hope and trust that my bandmates have put in to me. Around 4 months ago I passed the audition for an Iron Maiden tribute band frontman role. It was a far-from-perfect audition! I could not hit many of Bruce's notes, could not make it all the way through the set and it left my voice damaged for a few days. I was surprised to get the call-back, but was also thrilled and immediately took on the challenge to learn to sing better. Since then, I have achieved much progress and that is exhilarating. I can now hit Bruce's notes most of the time and can last all set - even double set length on rehearsal nights when the band wants to do songs over and over. Once I feel comfortable with this band's material I want to return to writing my own stuff, tapping in to my new abilities.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I started singing around 20 years ago. I picked up a 4-track tape recorder and would compose weird "songs" with my guitar, a drum machine, anything lying around that could make noise - and my voice. I was untrained, but also wasn't trying to sing anything challenging and didn't care if it was perfect. It was just to amuse myself and the occasional friend I'd give a tape copy. I sang on that stuff I guess because I thought a lyric would help people connect with the sound recording and I discovered I like writing lyrics and melodies.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"I do. I don't think I have an agenda or anything like that, but many of my songs revolve around certain themes, like how we live in a beautiful world, but we tend to make it ugly with our hate, violence, selfishness and all that. I also like writing adventure-type stuff or just whatever lyrically sounds good sometimes.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Now that I've put out a few albums and have gigged a bit with the Maiden tribute group, my motivation is that feeling that you're doing something that not everyone can do. I feel so divinely blessed when I've crafted a lyric and vocal I'm proud of and am able to sing it sufficiently to transmit it to a listener. Getting compliments like "nice voice" "great job tonight" "holy crap you've improved a ton in like a month" is addictive. I want to keep progressing and impressing others. So, admiration is a big part of it. I also just love being in a band, supplying a need the other guys couldn't and they're grateful because of all the work they've put in, but couldn't do the singing and now they get to take their music to the world. That feels hella awesome. So, that is a little selfless. But it's also the glory. And proving those wrong who have ever said stuff like "you don't have a metal voice" and also just impressing myself someday. I'm my own worst critic, but can admit to myself when I'm pleased with progress and take a certain delight in being able to do this month what I couldn't do last month.

What inhibits your singing?

At this point I think lack of instruction that resonates with me. I won't say where, but just that I've had some instruction the last few months which has been extremely helpful. I've gained around an octave in range, no longer damage my voice, am way more consistent with what I can deliver live. But, I'm also plateauing and I'm not as capable as I want to be. Come show time I want there to be no doubt in my mind that I can easily handle the material and just concentrate more on fun and the audience and the band.It is sometimes hard to find time, with work, family and all that. But I do have support at home, so 1-2 hours daily hasn't been a big deal. Occasionally I am not motivated, but I think this course will be enough of a challenge and deliver results such that I'll get obsessed and motivation won't be a factor for a long time to come.Oh, I don't think anybody has said phlegm inhibits their singing yet. That is one of my biggest problems. How much is the right amount and how do you know? Do I gargle salt, alcolol, drink stuff with citric acid, etc. Some of these things can lead to acid-reflux, which is it's own hell. I think it's possible to strip too much phlegm away too, leaving your vocal cords "unlubed." But when you can feel a glob on your cords and you can't sing stuff you normally can, it's frustrating until it clears up. So, learning to master phlegm-mitigation is also high on my list of skills to acquire.

Well here almost after a year and two months to meet KTVA, I prepare to answer these questions. I never had very clearly put. But anyway, now I look back and I think this is a good summary.

What motivates you to sing?

My motivation is the pursuit of freedom.

The truth is when singing especially rock feel very free.

At the time I'm like I want to be...It is like an improved version of myself.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

Since childhood at age 10 singing in church and played guitar.

My father taught me everything he knew. My father was an amateur troubadour.

When I turned 18 for a sad reason I sold my first electric guitar.Then it occurred to me to sing in my band and could do well because I had the old experience singing in church. While certainly the rock was quite different.

The fact is that I began to know the circuit from local bands in my city and that was how I met a vocalist who was my mentor and final motivation to rock. This guy shared the stage with Stratovarius.

I was elated and the truth is that many followed his advice. The training had a lyric in the chorus of classical music.

Years later known xls and finally this wonderful community.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Of course. Freedom.

Each screams,each song,each scale means to me howling for freedom.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

I think mainly the influence of my father.

When it was almost a baby had a small drum and a guitar toddler.

What inhibits your singing?

Mainly find or very sad or very angry.

If I'm really sad I have very little power.

If I'm so angry I have no intention of wanting to manufacture or produce the sound.

I'm a musician and songwriter, and also have done my share of producing and engineering my own records. Singing is something I'd always shied away from, but I realized I need to do it. My motivation is to perform what I've written to the highest standard possible. I've done some backup vocals in past bands, and also lead singing, although I felt I was pretty poor at it. My goal is to tackle singing seriously, to get the most out of my voice and perform my songs to the best of my abilities.

Many years ago as a young girl I studied ballet. Eventually, I became a soloist in a ballet company for almost nine years. It's hard for me to adequately describe how I felt when I was performing on stage but I'll try. I got lost in the music. It was a bit spiritual. It was definitely magical and I felt that I became part of the musical story. Someone and something else. Somewhere else. As I grew into adulthood, I got married, had a family and my life changed. I really missed performing, dancing and those feeling that I had when I was dancing. I missed it so much I dreamed about it year after year, & I grieved every morning for years about the loss of it. I tried painting, piano, decorating, gardening etc. but nothing touched or even came close to the emotions I had while dancing. After my Dad died in 2007, I was sitting in front of YouTube one afternoon and the idea crossed my mind about trying to learn to sing, so that's when I began. It was terrible but like a lightening bolt, I got that "feeling" again and I felt like I was re-discovering the universe! The only hurdle was that I sounded terrible. It's been wonderful and frustrating since then. I have certainly improved a lot but I cannot say I am even close to the kind of vocalist that I hope to be. I have always thought that there is a much, much better singer in me than I have ever been able to demonstrate. In fact, I think there might even be an absolutely great vocalist somewhere in me but so far, there is always some kind of insecurity, hang-up or vocal obstacle that goofs up the sound that I KNOW is in there. I hear the mistakes which makes me more insecure. That's why I'm here. I want to learn how to conquer these vocal obstacles. I would say my obstacles are mostly technical but when the sound isn't right it sure does mess up the emotional aspect too! When I hear my own mistakes I cannot sing with emotion or sing the story of the music because the wrong sound is completely distracting. I think what comes through is, "I'm singing but, Oh God, this isn't the right sound!" I'm smiling when I write this cause it's kind of funny and actually, it's not always that dramatic. However, to one degree or another, that is basically it! Even though I'm not by any stretch an incredible vocalist there is a little voice inside that keeps whispering, "Yeah, you could be, if you could just find me!" I have wondered at times if I am on the right track or just an eccentric and delusional dreamer but ......I have to sing. I just have to do it. I don't think I have a choice. Once I realized that the voice, the artist, that dancer is still in there somewhere, hidden right now. I just have to find it in my life.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I started singing around this time last year when I moved back to Massachusetts from Los Angeles. I knew about KTVA back then, but I didn't realize I was so close to Ken's studio otherwise I would've taken advantage of the opportunity.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Yes! I've noticed that my stage voice has improved immensely since I started vocal exercises a year ago and I've only had KTVA for about a week and so far I seen an improvement with this as well.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Originally it was just something to do and keep my mind off of acting and my failed attempt in the LA market, but as I got better (still have a long way to go, my passaggio and head voice specifically) it became another form of expression and it's fun. Although acting is still at the heart of all this, I would like to be able to sing at a professional level if not for anything but for myself.

What inhibits your singing?Fear. Plain and simple. I also think sometimes that my failed attempts at acting discourage me from practicing sometimes, but I still push through. Now I'm in an acting conservatory program and singing with KTVA!

According to my mom, I stared singing my own little made up songs when I was 3 or so.

I never thought about singing seriously until my band and I couldn't find a singer. I play guitar and I key off the lyrics so I usually know them. I started " singing " at practices and got less terrible as time went by.

Inhibitions in singing: Getting the first song started. After that its usually good.

I had to get surgery for acid reflux and ended up with some voice problems I didn't have before ( in addition to all I don't know and just pushed through ). So here I am......

Demonstrate my point of view, which consist in that everyone can do anything they want, if they know the correct path to do what they want. Maybe some rules to follow to develop a software, or to design ads, or to play drums, or anything else.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I decided to really start to sing one month ago. Because I realized that I want personal growth, and the only moment that important is now. Living without caring about what others think. Crossing the barriers imposed by society. And also, because learning to sing, will help me with other instruments, and other aspects of my life.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Feel what your hearts says, do what you want. It's the only thing really matters.

What was the trigger to make you want to sing?

Some years ago I started to singing with my father, on long travels in car, just for fun. One time he said that I never could sing. Years ago I was wanting to buy a mic to really hear my voice. Two years ago I tried sing going to a choir, but I really don't learn anything. But, I been thinking to really learn to sing, just didn't know how. I never had much confident to sing in front of other people.

The last months, I was working in other country, away from my drums and everything that I like. One day I realize that I wasn't be really happy with my work, and all the others things I do. To change this, I put a life target, doing use of my actual work like instrument to one day, live doing music. And the first thing, learn to sing.

I just love music and have for as long as I can remember. It's same thing that motivates me to pick up my guitar and play for hours. The same thing that makes me want to keep writing songs. My story was a rough one. Years ago, I was severely depressed to the point of considering suicide. Jesus changed my life and now my motivation to sing is even greater!

When and why did you decide to start singing?

One of the biggest frustrations as a songwriter has been finding people to sing the songs I have written. For years, I used the excuse that I couldn't find consistent vocalists to work with. Almost every time I sing, somebody goes out of their way to pay me a compliment. In the past few months, I finally decided to get serious and start developing my voice.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

If God has given you a singing voice, then sing! Don't let fear hold you back. Sing with all your heart.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

As an artist, it's hard to explain. But (as mentioned in the response to the first question), there are times when it just feels like there's something building up inside that needs to be expressed. Just ask my wife. It doesn't take much to inspire me. Seeing the mountains or other parts of God's creation. Watching an inspirational movie. Playing with a band or seeing a band in concert. Sitting on the back porch looking at the stars. These all seem to stir up music inside of me. So I just grab my guitar and start singing.

What inhibits your singing?

My wife is an amazing singer. Way better than average. She could have been a professional pop, country, or even classical singer. It took me years before I would finally open up, cut loose, and really sing in front of her. I just felt very self conscious with her being so good. This probably stems back to a comment my brother made when I was in 8th grade. One day when I was singing along with one of my favorite songs, he said something like "you should stop singing...you sound terrible". Even though he was only in 6th grade and doesn't even remember saying that, it shut me down for years. So I would say fear, although I'm doing much better now and am able to sing in front of others without being terrified.

Those words your brother said to you are similar to what shuts down a lot of people when someone makes a comment like that. The comments aren't necessarily meant to have the kind of impact that they do when the speaker says that kind of thing, but it can cut right down to the heart, to the core of our being, and stop us dead in our tracks of ever hoping to be able to sing, especially in front of others.

Singing can be such a personal thing. We are revealing our inner selves, sometimes publicly, when we sing. That self is very fragile and vulnerable at times...

Ken has a saying about "The only thing that separates a singer" from everybody else "is that a singer has the GUTS to sing." Comments, even early in life, that make us feel like we don't have "the right to sing" or "any business singing in public" can cause us to shut down that part of us, that part of our soul, that wants to SING OUT from our heart.

That's one of the great things about helping so many new singers... hearing their voices bloom and blossom and hearing the voice from within take root and grow.

You've given some good advice:

If God has given you a singing voice, then sing! Don't let fear hold you back. Sing with all your heart.

Some may think that God may not have given them a singing voice. He may have, but they just don't realize it yet. It's in there, inside of you, waiting to be released.

If someone has ever told you that you don't deserve to try to sing, please think again. You DO have the right to try. You DO have a better voice than you've been told. You just haven't learned how to make it better. You CAN make it better. You just MIGHT be able to make it GREAT!

I just hear a great song that goes round and round in my head so I start to sing it - I usually only sing the first couple of line and hum the rest, doh!

When and why did you decide to start singing?

Well, l have started to take is seriously in the last couple of weeks because late last year I was diagnosed with stage 3 metastatic bowel cancer. Although I am in remission I don't want to waste any more time. I enjoy what I do and it is helping me recover from a 9 hour operation.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Maybe, when I feel I have a better voice

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

- see answer above. No more time to waste

What inhibits your singing?

I guess in the past it was nerves. Now I want more control of my voice. Now I just worry I'll upset the neighbors!

Thanks for sharing your motivation with us. We can inspire one another to get up off of our good intentions and get on with today while it's still here and we're still here. There is no guarantee of tomorrow or next year.

We have to figure out what we want in life, and what inspires us, and go for it.

Time is precious. I waited WAY too long to get started with my KTVA studies. If I could change one thing about getting started with KTVA, it would be to have started sooner.

@Alancr , I had a similar comment by my older brother at a young age. I secretly joined the high school chorus and never told anyone because of it! It has caused me to put huge amounts of effort into changing what my voice sounds like, which never really works in the end. I can't say that I've reached a point of being truly comfortable with it, but at least I know where my self loathing stems from!

I sing in front of people and wonderful compliments, but internally I feel that my voice is crap. Like somehow it can't ever be legit because that comment was probably the first opinion that I ever heard out loud about my voice. It stuck and it's hard as hell to shake.

@mkeymont - Interesting. One thing I have learned is that, good or bad, or words tend to carry a lot more weight than we realize. It's quite possible that your brother doesn't even remember making that comment, but the impact lasted a long time. The good news is that, at least in your mind, you know the truth now. You are not defined by your brother's comments. I am learning the same thing. Thanks for sharing your story.

It was fun for me when he came up from Georgia to my Dad's party and I tore the house down, singing songs with a buddy of mine for hours. We ripped it and he sat there in the audience with as surprised a look on his face as I've seen.

I have to also report that the same buddy I mentioned above paid me quite the compliment last week. We go together to practice for the same annual party, at my Dad's, after not getting together for a long time. He told me "I don't know what you're doing, but when we first started playing together you were singing "alright" at best. Now, I'd pay to see you in a club."

That is the best testimony I have for my results of 2 years with KTVA. Thanks, Ken!

What motivates you to sing?I honestly don't know if motivation really applies to me. I can't remember ever not singing, and it's just something I absolutely love to do, and I consider it part of my identity as a person. Everyone has their thing that they love and couldn't be without-singing is that for me.

When and why did you decide to start singing?I've always loved to-I couldn't imagine NOT doing it. I started out when I was young practicing to Mariah Carey (this was when she first came out, lol). Music is just a huge part of my life. My parents were always going to shows when I was younger, and while I am not a performer, myself, I AM a merch designer for a local metal band, and go to shows as I am able to support the scene

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?I don't know. I grew up surrounded by music-it was always present in my house. 5am on a Saturday? Music blaring while my mom cleaned, lol. It also became an escape for me-my safe place when things were not well. I'd just throw some music on, sing to it, and everything else would just disappear for awhile. So, I can't really identify a trigger, or a moment where it all just clicked for me. My love for music was just always a part of me, and lyrics have always been very important to me for the emotion that they can convey (I've also written prose and poetry, and was even published in the town gazette when I was like 9, lol). I assume this has something to do with my passion for singing vs. picking up an instrument, and I don't get easily discouraged with singing-I can (and do) practice the same song over and over and over again to get it just right. I've tried picking up a guitar (the only instrument I've ever been interested in learning), and get very frustrated trying to make notes come clean. Singing just comes naturally to me.

What inhibits your singing?Honestly, fear of failure. I have horrid stage fright, which is a shame because I typically practice singing for at least 3 hours a day-this isn't just singing to the radio-it's doing sections of a song repeatedly until I get it right. I enjoy doing it, and love the challenge of harder songs, but there are so many songs that I adore and think about how much I'd like to perform them, but can't bring myself to sing in front of anyone. It's pretty terrible...

I first started singing when the lead singer in an old band I was in quit and my drummer pretty much said either I was singing or I was out of the band (I was lead guitarist.) After I stopped being mad and after a lot of encouragement from my drummer, I sang and been doing it ever since. I love it. Started writing and performing with my best friend, and her and I even did some recordings. And my passion for all things singing have just grown since. Singing itself makes me motivating, making people happy with music keeps me motivated, singing and working with others motivates me, and even teaching what I know motivates me

I think I always loved singing since my young age but I was very shy and never did in front of anybody. One day someone asked me to come to see her choir and I thought that that would be good, I could sing and nobody will really hear me or comment, I was in a group. But I always sung in my bath and shower and for my try out they told me my voice was very clear and I could join in.

Today I do karaoke, whenever I can. I would love to find a group that I could perform with. I'm over 60 years and the groups don't seem to be interested in my age group.

I feel great when I sing, I try to express every word of the songs that I choose and sing. To me You have to be a happy person to sing and singing make the listener happy. There is always someone you touched with every song and that is super important.

You may be able to find a group that plays for people around retirement age. Those folks won't have any problems with your age. They may even look at you as a youngster. A friend of mine makes good money singing and playing piano at retirement homes. If you don't play piano, you could find someone who does and give that a try or find someone who plays acoustic guitar. One thing can lead to another, and you may find more places that would want to hear you sing. The folks my friend plays for really look forward to musicians and singers coming to entertain them.

The nicer places can pay more money for the performances. If the money isn't important, any retirement community would like to have entertainers come by and do some songs. They are a very appreciative audience and would love to hear you sing.

My love of music motivates me to sing. My favourite artists are my heroes. I want to sing because I want to be like them.

I have struggled with melancholy on and off through my life and music has been my solace and therapy to the point that it has become a spiritual connection for me. (I have no religious or supernatural beliefs.) I want to be able to pay forward that connection to others searching for empathy, understanding, solace and hope. A bit later in my life now I have come to the realisation that one day, when someone comes to me and says, "your song helped me through a hard time" I will feel that my life has been well lived, and if I don't make a serious attempt at achieving that goal then it will be the thing I regret on my death bed.

We always had a piano and guitar in the house and I sang in choir at school from a young age. In high school I took music as an elective mainly because I was a music lover (rather than a serious performer). Near the end of High School I had major roles in school musicals and sung on stage in front of hundreds of people, it was then that I decided that I really wanted to do this to a professional level.

For a long time I struggled with feeling that I had "nothing to say" as an artist, or rather that I didn't fully understand or know how to articulate or tell stories about the feelings I wanted to express. This is becoming a lot clearer to me now, but I am still working on it.

The "trigger" to make me really want to passionately pursue singing and identify as a singer came in my late teens and would have to be some combination of the feeling of personal achievement of performing in high school musicals (honestly, the only thing I did well at in school), and my passion for 90s metal, grunge and alt-rock.

There are two main things that have inhibited my singing. The first one is criticism from others. I've had a lot of people tell me over the years that my voice didn't sound good. They were right, and I knew it but for a few years in my late teens I believed that if I worked at it hard enough it would come good eventually. I endured a lot of pained looks, diplomatic suggestions that maybe it wasn't for me, and personal disappointment but I still struggled on with blind faith until I was about 22. But it was all in vain because in my early years I was also struggling with...

The second thing that has inhibited my singing is access to good teaching and information. This problem has finally been solved for me now that I have found KTVA (see my recent 1st anniversary demo for proof). Now that I have experienced KTVA I can honestly say I have never had a vocal coach before who could actually help me in any meaningful way (I'm tempted to say they were clueless or rubbish, but I think it's kinder to say they were not the right teacher for me).

A: The possibility of singing the songs that I write/will write and the physical feeling too.

2-When and why did you decide to start singing?

A: Six years ago, when I was 19. I started singing in a choral and got motivated by my friends. Then, I started to appreciate it.

3-Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?

A: I hope I can do it through my music!

4-What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

A: When studied bel canto and was heading towards an operatic career, my main influence was the american bass Samuel Ramey. It was like "damn, I gotta have this 'lion roar like' voice too!"But when it comes to rock singing, I think Chris Cornell was always a favorite. Always loved the whiskey tone that he got when he sang in Audioslave.

5-What inhibits your singing?

A: When I feel my voice is out of track or not really good that day. This really ruins my mood. When it´s ok, I feel like I could do, vocally, pretty much anything.

Hi, love for music made me wanted to sing!I sing for myself since i was young and recently, i wanted to be better and be myself with my voice!I wanted to shout that music is life, we are Immortals!I d really want to sing a bit like Steve Perry or Steve Lee, or some others great singers!I think i m afraid o do something wrong when notes are high cause i don t want to destroy some beautiful songs! Anyway i do my best and try everyday!

What motivates you to sing?I'm very shy and introverted so singing is a way to release my emotions.

When and why did you decide to start singing? Probably when I was 4, in the early nineties, because my parents and I remember me singing Crazy by Aerosmith when I was very little, then I was obsessed with Mariah Carey and Garbage I guess it was another way to communicate my feelings and let out my energy rather than running around!

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"There are several beautiful answers here to this question! "Of course. Freedom.Each screams,each song,each scale means to me howling for freedom." That's exactly how I feel.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?It came naturally, I guess seeing these singers on TV looking really passionate, happy and doing amazing things was the best motivation!Currently, I feel really motivated by Ken's videos, by the great advice you provide in this forum, your encouraging words, your impressive student reports. I also feel inspired by the music I'm listening to, at the moment Kimbra, Melanie Martinez, Tegan and Sara, Liz Phair, Joanna Newsom, and several J-Rock acts (Fujifabric, Flip, LiSA). I started learning to play the ukulele, and it's a lot less scary to sing loud with an instrument rather than acapella.

What inhibits your singing?My range is very limited, especially with the higher notes (E5 is the current limit), also my voice doesn't project very well, which is quite funny because another fear I have is to disturb the neighbours! Shyness, lack of confidence as well.

What motivates you to sing?The things that motivate me to sing are the ideas and emotions that float around my head, the people I see or feel around me (those I love, those in need around the world), and the musicians and singers that I look up to.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I decided that I wanted to sing long ago when I was three years old, but I never really started self-teaching myself how to until I was about fourteen years old. I decided to start singing then because I needed to get my thoughts out somehow, whether they were personal poems turned songs of my own or songs by bands or solo artists that I admired.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"If anything, I want to say that anything is possible if you continually try with a goal in mind. My voice, my flute playing (I was a flutist before I started singing. I still am) - neither of these things are perfect or amazing. I still feel like an underdog sometimes, but I know now that as I keep trying with a purpose, I'll gradually get there. Don't let anyone tell you that you won't get better at something or become something great, basically. I know firsthand that if I had listened to any of that for my entire, though short, 18 years of life instead of breaking through the negativity when I was 14, I never would've tried.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Songs that I love, music in general, and emotions that I feel trigger me, make me want to sing.

What inhibits your singing?Besides what little time I've been a part of this vocal academy, I'm self-taught. Even as a person who performs music on an instrument, I don't know much about scales or pitch or moving from chest to head voice vocally. After four going on to five years of self-teaching, I've progressed but there are still so many essential qualities that my voice doesn't have compared to the voices I listen to in music everyday.

Hi everyone, I just started with KTVA and catching up with the great chat on this forum. Here are my answers to the questions...

What motivates you to sing?If I think about it it's probably the same as my motivation for playing guitar for almost 30 years now, I want to be able to emulate the music that I love listening to and that excites me. For example, I started playing guitar after hearing Van Halen, so always loved it when I could pull off an EVH guitar part reasonably well. I have always tried to sing and the motivation is the same, I want to sing and I get excited about singing the songs I love to listen to.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I have always tried to sing, but never had the confidence as I always thought that singing was a natural talent, and if you weren't good then you were just not good naturally. I kept singing backing vocals in bands over the past 25 years or so, then about 3 years ago started singing some lead parts in a 4 piece acoustic band, all four guys doing lead on certain songs. This helped with my confidence a lot. The why is the same as my motivation above, it feels great to sing the songs I love to listen to, especially if I can do them reasonably well (although I want to get so much better)!

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Not sure about this, my motivation is simply I love music and love singing and playing guitar, it makes me happy!

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?I think the trigger that made me go from thinking I couldn't sing (again the natural talent thing), to be willing to try harder to get better and then end up singing lead in my acoustic band was having support from my beautiful wife, who is always honest with me and will say it like it is, giving me compliments on my singing when it sounded good, and was supportive (and not negative) when it didn't sound so good, with saying things like; I just needed to work on it a bit more. Also more support from my band mates who are really good singers helped a lot.

What inhibits your singing?Confidence. It won't always sound good, which in the past has put me off even practising for fear of what other people may think. I am getting over this! Funny, I never had this lack of confidence for playing guitar.

What inhibits your singing?Confidence. It won't always sound good, which in the past has put me off even practising for fear of what other people may think. I am getting over this! Funny, I never had this lack of confidence for playing guitar.

I was exactly the same, for the first six months of doing KTVA I would even get mild anxiety attacks if my practice session wasn't going well. I had to develop a bit of mindfulness meditation practice to help me calm down so I could let go of the vocal tension caused by that anxiety. In the end it was a bit like desensitization therapy, every day you just have to be a little bit braver, a little bit kinder to yourself, sing a little bit louder, care a little bit less about others who might be hearing. When you have a worse day, don't beat yourself up, just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Then one day (and it may take many months) you'll suddenly realize you haven't thought about anyone else while doing your practice in quite a while, you'll catch yourself just being totally immersed in working on improving your voice. At that point you might also notice that your vocal progress is rapidly accelerating. All that anxiety really holds you back, or at least, it did for me.

Thank you! this kind of feedback really helps. I really looking forward to seeing the benefits of this. Funny thing, I was playing a gig last night, I sing backing vocals mostly in this band, but I had only started the basic lessons in volume 1 for breathing and posture the day before and even at the gig I was mindful of that and I really noticed the difference. I have total confidence in the KTVA program, can't wait until I'm a few months in.

I started as a guitar player and wanted to be more then just that. I knew I wanted to be great. I knew I wanted to write music. I knew I wanted to perform. The only thing I had to do was sing. Ever since then Iv loved doing it and the amount of enjoyment it added to my playing.

When and why did you decide to start singing?:

Why ties in to what motivates but when I was about 12-13. I am currently 16 and started vocal training last year around this time. I started KTVA last month sometime and it is seriously improving my voice.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?":I am a proud Ken Tamplin fan! I love his music! hahaha This course rocks!

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?:

My inspirations, dedication, and love for it.

What inhibits your singing?:

TMD. Its a jaw problem. Google it hahaha its to much information to explain here.

Well, as a traumatic brain injury survivor of (going on) 46 years I found a long time ago that one of the tools at my disposal for combating the low-grade chronic depression that came along for the ride (with the brain injury) is singing. Over the years I have worked on developing my voice (by singing in school choirs and singing along with old cassette recordings of Elvis Presley (hey, I like his voice)). Apparently I have been somewhat successful in creating the tonal qualities I want because every time I sing one of my short little "songs" I get compliments about my voice so I guess you could say that my second motivation for singing is to help people forget all of the garbage that is thrown their way (on a daily basis) for a little while so that they can actually feel good about themselves and life in general.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

I started singing in grade school, probably about fifth grade, and sang in choirs all the way up through high school and two years of college. After that I sand along with those tapes I mentioned for about a year. Since then I have sung sporadically over the years. Currently I mainly sing at work - the graveyard shift at an assisted living home.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Not really. I will, however, say that the entertainment industries are notoriously prejudiced against people with disabilities. I do not want to make any kind of "statement" or anything like that but once I get my voice in shape, to my satisfaction, I would like the opportunity to show soneone what I've ot to offer. I don't want to be a rock star or anything like that but I would like to be able to make enough money (with my voice) to pay a few bills.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

It helps me feel better about myself and apparently helps others feel at least a little bit better about themselves as well.

What inhibits your singing?

Hmm. Now, here's the strange part, Ken. The thing that motivates me to sing - the low-grade chronic depression that came along for the ride - is the one thing that makes it hard for me to sing to my potential. I used to have most of the lower four octaves at my disposal (low D to middle E) but I've probably lost about half of it over the years. My goal is to get as much of that back as possible (as well as an octave or two higher) and combine it all with the tonal quality I have developed and then to just let the chips fall where they may.

Listening to world class, great singers perform highly challenging songs.

Knowing that no matter how strong my voice feels today, I know my best singing voice is still to come (Translation: The vocal journey never ends and the rewards are lifelong.)

When and why did you decide to start singing? I discovered my musical abilities at an early age primarily as an instrumentalist (guitar, keys, low brass) and went on to perform in all kinds of bands and musical ensembles through high school. Singing, however, was something I did informally and just for fun. In college, while studying music, some other musician friends pointed out that I had a good voice and natural singing ability. I got recruited into Men's Glee Club and then eventually found "fame" in the college acappella community singing pop and rock songs to thousands of adoring fans. At that point, I just fell in love with singing and developing my vocal abilities. It was like having a brand new instrument that was a complete mystery waiting to be unlocked and mastered. I was hooked!

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Improving the voice is NOT a fast process and should never be rushed. It requires focus, discipline, healthy choices and countless hours of repetitive, mundane vocalizing. Think of it as body building for the larynx — you have to be careful, slow, strategic and deliberate with vocal workouts. Can't emphasize this enough. So many singers have such unrealistic expectations about improving their voices. Mastery (of anything) takes time, a plan, and perseverance.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?The sheer joy of discovering that I can do something better with my voice today that I couldn't do yesterday. Doesn't matter how small the improvement is. Cumulative, slow but steady growth is a huge motivator for me. This is as true today as it was 25 years ago when I started singing.

What inhibits your singing?Second guessing if I'm doing something right, or if I'm reinforcing a bad habit. Lack of vocal control and predictability. Feeling some days like my voice is an unruly beast with a mind of its own that is slowly and reluctantly being tamed. You'll bend to my will! This I promise!

What motivates you to sing?Geddy Lee's old voice,which is one of my favourite things in life (not only in music)

When and why did you decide to start singing? About a month ago (July 2016),in order to sound as close as possible to the 70s Geddy.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

I really wanted to sing since I was 12. Still,I was too shy at the time to be a vocalist.Plus,I always fancied to sing high all the time like Lee used to.Therefore,I though that I wont be able to sing in bands due to how shrill people could think my voice would be and blah blah blah.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Listening to Geddy's old voice.Some other high tenors (like Deyama Toshimitsu at his debult with X Japan and Chang Yu Sheng) also influences me,although not as much as Lee does..

What inhibits your singing?My lack of spare time plus my voice sound,that doesnt match Geddy's old tone...Its a bit akin,but not similar enough.

It makes me feel good, even more than playing the guitar does.When and why did you decide to start singing?

I've always wanted to do it, but I only decided to start taking it seriously in February of 2016. I decided to become a singer because I believe that developing my voice would enable me to express myself a lot better. I feel like a great singer with an underdeveloped voice, if that makes any sense.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Not really

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Listening to Rock n' Roll. Also, seeing and listening to other people singing great. For instance, Ken's videos can be a trigger. In fact, I was just watching Ken sing Somebody to Love and now I want to sing.

What motivates you to sing?The world just seems a better place to me when i sing it touches me deeply inside.

When and why did you decide to start singing? I started when i was about 8-9 when in Wales staying with my Grandmother during the school holidays and she took me to church every Sunday and i sang with the congregation and it moved me inside, my most favourite hymn was "Abide with me"

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Apologies for being an idiot and mixing with the wrong people as i grew up ..... but seriously sing with controlled Passion and extend my knowledge for writing songs and deliver them with belief.Finish the few songs that i have started. Also be proficient on my D.A.W

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?There is nothing else really ... always leads back to it

What inhibits your singing?ease in front of an audience in the Hiatus :-)Belief that i am good enough when i hear what is possible with the greats.Knowing i don't know as much as i would like to.Singing the wrong songs.

> @Ken Tamplin said:
> Dudes and Divas, these questions are for everyone, whether you're enrolled in KTVA or not.
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> What motivates you to sing?
Listening to Geddys early voice touchs my heart with so much ease,soon or later I'd become a singer out of that inspiration.
I wanted to mimic Lee since I was 14.
Yet I thought there was no way I could sound like him at the time.
I thought he was BORN with that high range,thus I couldn't mimic him.

Now I'm 20 and I just gonna work hard to sound like him no matter what.
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> When and why did you decide to start singing?
A month ago because I was weary of thinking "people won't like my high voice so I won't get a career" and "Lees voice ranges too high for me,F#4 is NY highest chest note and his used to be G5".

Now I sing for my own pleasure.
Getting a career makes no difference.

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> Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"
Sing as YOU want instead of how people wish you to.
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> What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

Admiring Geddys early vocals
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> What inhibits your singing?
Being tone deaf.
I'm working on it

What motivates you to sing?Intimacy, I have always had a hard time connecting with people. (got two divorces to prove it) When I sing, I'm not me. I'm someone who I've always wanted to be. To heal, I've got a lot of pain and anger inside. Contrary to what be say, there's no way of "letting it go.". But there is relief in music. Playing guitar is awesome, but when you sing there is no instrument, there's no vehicle. It's just you, nothing to hide behind.

I, ve sang for years but never had balls to perform in front of anyone. Until there was no music, it's a very long story, but I suffer from bi-polar disorder. Despite the fact that all odds were aginst me. I was able to get a job with the city, promotions after promotion a real rising star. I can't say I found my profession full filling, but the pay was well into six figures. Then one day it all came to a stop, my world fell apart by false accusations. Accusations that didn't even hold enough water to get past a grand jury. The NY Post (one of the largest newspapers in NYC) wrote an article about me. I just lost my mind; literally, I was institutionalized. When I say institutionalized, I don't mean an overnight stay in some psycho ward. Three months, locked down and locked up. It was nothing short of surreal, fogged by overmedication. I had a bunk mate, Matthew. He said he was veteran, served in Iraq. I had to admit I thought he was full of shit. I had severed in the Marine Corps, and he knew things only a legit veteran would know. In his late 30's like myself, he looked 20 years senior to that. Matthew had become homeless living in between Thomason Square Park (NYC)and any squat he could find to shoot up. It was impossible to sleep at night, during the day you were so doped up you slept all day. All you heard were the squeaks, of the orderly's shoes on the worn laminated floor. Oh and the occasional screams from a resident (patients were referred to as residents) on the way to a padded cell. Matthew and I started talking about music one night and how it sucked not being able to hear any. It turned out we had the same taste in music; there was no music, so I sang.

What inhibits your singing?Confidence, despite being told by the hand full of people I have sung for that I am pretty good.

What motivates me to sing?I realized that when you have nothing. All you have is music, and sometimes the only way to hear that music is to sing.

Classic rock and metal. Nearly all of the music I love features singers who sing high. Traditional metal singers have outstanding voices which have a melodic power to them not found in other forms of music. I am highly motivated to sing metal because I just love the sound of their voices.

2. When and why did you decide to start singing?

When I was 18 I discovered Manowar, a classic metal band with a lead singer who absolutely blew me away with his voice, lyrics, and method of delivery. Every note and every word he sang felt like it was directly resonating with me on every musical level. He has a masculinity and a badassery that no other singer in the world has, AND, he has the best high pitched metal scream. I naturally started singing along with every song, and in the process developed a tremendous metal voice of my own. Singing Manowar's songs is the greatest fun and pleasure for me!

3. Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"

Yes. Everything that Manowar says and the way they say it is the message I want to bring to the world. I wholeheartedly support and am 100% behind the band's message. That band is like the theme music to my entire worldview, and Eric Adams is the mouthpiece for everything I think and feel.

4. What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?

This question is redundant and has already been fully answered through the 3 prior questions : )

5. What inhibits your singing?

The need earn a living inhibits my singing. I can't get paid to sing (yet), so I have to spend a ton of time making money in a completely unrelated field (I'm a tax professional). Secondly, the inability to find a good band is a big inhibitor for me. Without a good band to sing with, I feel held back.

What motivates you to sing?: Well, it's a way to express myself in that it's been a way to release and attract certain emotions when they're desired as well y'know? music makes you FEEL something, something you don't get to touch nearly enough simply just living day to day life. Singing is an amplified x300 version of that feeling to me, I love the sense of feeling so alive and present and being able to convey my feelings and emotions to those around me while having a hell of a time

When and why did you decide to start singing?: For the joy of yelling and belting? my first song at 7 years old was girls girls girls by motley crue (Tsk bet that was hilarious watching a little kid sing) solely because motley crue just had such a vibrance and energy to their music-- if there's a way to not sing along to that shit I still haven't found it, kickstarts my heart every time y'know ;P (Puns Puns) Now around age 17? I started taking it a little more seriously. one day I was in music class belting (not anywhere near as good as with the help of yourself and your program ken, you fkn metal god you ;P) some black album metallica material and my teacher told me it was actually really good. that day really changed the game for me, I started thinking about running toward the dream and grabbing it by the horns, and good lord am I ever glad I did with the feeling performing gives you

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Many things, Stories I want to tell, Anger against the troubles of our world, The sensation of passion, But mostly i'd have to say a message- I want the whole world to hear "YEEEAAAH WE'RE MADE OF THE STUFF OF STARS AND BURN WITH THE FIRES OF HELL SO GIVE LIFE A VICIOUS ASSAAAAAAULT!!" yknow. shit like that. Positivity. Motivation. Feeling like you can take on anything as a force of nature. Metaaaaal!! ><

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Growing up (Like every other kid) Hearing songs on the radio all the time, Really getting into them and feeling the grooves and energy behind them and well it just kinda happens, man! first moment is silence then "WOOOOAAAAAAHHH!!! YEAHHHH!!!" and that evolved into being triggered also by the thought of creating music (What a fkn rush)

What inhibits your singing?In many ways myself. I Haven't put enough effort into finding a group of people to create the band I dream of and envision in my head, Also money of course-- without said band and having a decent flow of gigs I still gotta work 40 hour weeks to pay the bills and shit so... Yeah! that's about all i'd say. Cheers!

What motivates you to sing?Freedom of expression maybe? Also from an internal need to reveal my vulnerabilities, share stories and connect with people on a more intimate level. I am now in a power trio and am not only doing some heavy guitar work, but I am the lead singer as well! People like Ritchie Kotzen, Paul Gilbert and Phil-X do this effortlessly, and I believe are heavily under-rated, as they can do stellar work at both facets simultaneously! I ascribe to emulate what they can do... Shoot for the stars, hit the moon, as they say

When and why did you decide to start singing? I don't think it was ever a conscious decision... I grew up in a very musical household, so it was what we did from a very early age. Everything was performed from Ernest Tubb to Bruce Cockburn to Peter Frampton (Later came the heavier stuff of course)

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Yes! Its never too late to start something new! The first best time was from the cradle, the next best time is right NOW!

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?My first band maybe (I was about 14??) The bassist/singer asked me to do the last half of the set as he had a cold and his throat was too sore. Turns out I did ok, and really loved it, and how I was seriously connected to the audience... I was hooked.Now its all about trying to emulate the nuances of the singers I love, and the journey of learning how to pull all of the things I've learned into a cohesive skills library that I can access and develop my own voice and style with.

What inhibits your singing?Currently? Well I am just starting into phase 3, so I can't quite get the rubber to the road yet. I have to continually focus on maintaining diaphragmatic support, Hyper-glottal compression, vowel modifications on the fly... its coming, but not quite instinctive yet... so in a word: "Consistency"

Wow. I'm new here, just reading this thread and I'm so moved by these posts. It seems that singing is such a spiritual experience for so many,whatever the style- and a fundamentally human response to..LIFE

Motivation: I've always been a creative person, I love all the arts.. Self Expression is key to being Healthy, Happy and Whole, imho.

When/where: As long as I can remember. As a child I knew all the words to all the songs on the radio and was deeply affected by them.

Something to say? : Yes and No. I'm a bit of a Zen monk (can I say that???lol) so in one sense everything is perfect just as it is... but if I had to commit it would be yeah, "Get your Freak on- Love Forever is all there is"

Inhibits: Not being very good. I'm shy about people hearing my efforts. Slightly less so now I've been doing Ken's exercises and improved a little, also having a sense of purpose to my singing..

Very excited to be on the Upward Spiral, and happy to read these posts- kind of confirm that I'm in the right place. Peace out. D.x

What motivates you to sing?I love the feeling when i connect with the lyrics of the song... my heart rate jumps when i really feel what the writer of the song have ment. Also i have a dream to be a famous singer, beatboxer, guitar player, songwriter... I want to inspire people. And mastering the art of music is what inspires me.

When and why did you decide to start singing? Im a musician since 2th grade... That was 9 or 10 years ago. I started with beatbox, later i started playing guitar. In 5th grade my dad signed me up in a singing chorus. I didn't like it so much then... But later when i was getting better on the guitar i found some songs that i really liked... and i said to myself:I should learn to sing better. Its cool... also i will get girlfriends easier. Later i found Ed Sheeran... and he just fired me up. I started writing my own songs, singing his songs and i really felt the emotions, feelings... thats when i realised that i have a passion for music.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"Yes... IM A REAL ARTIST. AND DONT YOU DARE JUDGE ME.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?Ed Sheeran

What inhibits your singing?Belting... connecting the lower voice with the higher one. Switching from chest to head while sounding natural and good.

When and why did you decide to start singing?
When I was younger I didn't think I'd be able to sing because I has Asthma, I figured my lungs were too weak. Around my early twenties I developed the mentality that nothing was impossible, and that with great focus, and determination I could do anything I willed myself to do. I started singing to prove to myself that I could do it, and do it well.

Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"
YES!!! That nothing's impossible, that words and dreams have the power to change the world, that we are stronger than our weaknesses, that we are better unified than opposed and that there's still hope for the miraculous to happen in this world.

What was/is the trigger to make you want to sing?
Sometimes it's joy, sometimes it's anger, sometimes it's the junkie in me wanting that natural high.

What inhibits your singing?
fatigue. self doubt. not having time. being shy. insecurities

> @Ken Tamplin said:
> Dudes and Divas, these questions are for everyone, whether you're enrolled in KTVA or not.
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> What motivates you to sing?
The river of my emotions... and awesome songs.
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> When and why did you decide to start singing?
I firstly sang with my friends when i was a kid we did it for our own fun and I was also a part of the primary school's choir and we had our performances. Later I jumped into intensive sports life and I sang under my shower only after the trainings, and visited rock and metal concerts of the famous bands around Europe, and now I've also had a friend who plays guitar and we just sing together when we spend time together, we don't decide to do that, we just do it to enjoy life... And I have this urge now to improve my voice to the best i can and sing all those wonderful songs correctly and sing on the beach at least once again in front of other unknown people to get the applause. :-D
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> Do you have something to say and you want to "shout it out?"
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> KEN, YOU'RE THE BEST!!!
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> I want to know what motivates you to sing :-)

> The awesome songs... And my inner feeling... that voice deep down... and the flow of my emotions when I hear a certain song that make me wanna express myself the same way or a bit differently.
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Its a lifetime of motivation, listening to my favorite bands over the years and sharing life's experiences they translate into compelling and melodically pleasing vocals. I started singing one day while driving to a best friends house, who later died at the age of 35 of stage 2 diabetes, he was even trying to sing a bit before he passed after I had brought my guitar over and played some songs. There are many triggers to make me sing, mostly trying to perfect my skills lately. The over all motivation of singing is to do something I enjoy doing as well as provide the kind of "comfort of sorts" that other musician's have provided me with, we all have certain songs that we listen to on certain types of days good or bad, some songs that can be listened to anytime. For instance "the day I tried to live' by Sound garden is a rare song I can listen to on a good or bad day. It helps level the highs and lows of life. I could not imagine how different our culture would be without these kind of influences. Personally I think popular musician's help influence the worlds direction.

Deep inside that feeling, you absolutely know it, and nothing in the universe can hold it back when someone is liking and appreciating what you do, if not, your doing it and not them and all you need is to make one person dance or tap a little rhythm while your singing and playing and all the rest is a bonus for you. I just like that feeling after you sing the song. HAHAHA